What Evidence Is Needed for a VA Disability Claim?

The evidence that’s needed for a VA disability claim varies depending on the type of claim it is. For instance, if it’s a claim for service connection, which means you’re trying to get the VA to recognize that the condition is related to service, you usually need to prove three things. One, that there’s a current disability. Two, that there’s something that happened to you in service, whether it’s a diagnosis, a disease, a stressor, or maybe there was just an injury. And then third, that there’s a medical nexus, that there’s some kind of connection between the first piece and the second piece, meaning your current disability is related to your military service. Now, in terms of other types of claims, if you’re trying to file an increased rating claim, meaning that the VA has already recognized that it’s related to service but you believe it should receive a higher rating, then the VA is going to look at your medical records to see what the severity of your condition is. So, it’s absolutely critical that you treat as much as you possibly can so that you have a paper trail of a demonstrated history of worsening symptoms. And then lastly, another claim that comes to mind is a claim for TDIU, which stands for total disability based upon individual unemployability. The VA is going to look at a variety of pieces of evidence to see if your conditions impact your ability to work. So, it could be medical evidence, lay evidence, meaning your own report, or vocational evidence.